Access Meade County Kentucky Genealogy

Access Meade County Kentucky genealogy using this page. This guide provides you with information on available online ancestry records including birth, court, death, land, and marriage, etc., as well as the history of the Meade County KY and the biography and genealogy of her people. This is the most complete and accurate listing of online records for Meade County Kentucky.

Meade County, Kentucky, was established on December 17, 1823, carved out from parts of Hardin and Breckinridge counties. No Native American tribes ever inhabited this region for any length of time, although, crossing the Ohio River at the mouth of Salt River, Rock Haven, Flippen’s Run, Buck Creek, and near the mouth of Wolf Creek, they came often to hunt game. Meade County was named in honor of Captain James M. Meade of the 17th U.S. Infantry, who died in the War of 1812. The Ohio River forms its northern boundary, providing a critical transportation and trade route that shaped its development. Brandenburg, the county seat, is a key location for accessing county records and historical documents. The geographical and historical context of Meade County, including its strategic location along major waterways and its early establishment in the 19th century, offers rich genealogical insights for researchers.

Meade County Kentucky Information

Generally, records began to be collected soon after the formation of Meade County in 1823, especially when it involved the court system.

Townships of Meade County Kentucky

In addition to Brandenburg, the county seat, there are many small towns and villages in Meade County. Among these, the most important have been Ashcraft, Bennetts, Big Spring, Caseville, Cedar Branch, Concordia, Ekron, Fort Knox, Garnetsville, Guston, Meadville, Muldaugh, Oolite, Payneville, Rhodelia, Rockhaven, Weldon, Wolf Creek, and Woodland. At one time Brandenburg was one of the most active shipping points on the Ohio, between Louisville and Owensboro, and shipped annually large quantities of tobacco, grain, and livestock. Today, while many modern homes have been built on the outskirts of the town, the sloping main street, built between steep hills, is still lined with picturesque old buildings, indicative of a busy, almost forgotten past.

• Historical Post Offices in Meade County, Kentucky
  This is a list of post offices that operated in Meade County, Kentucky, at various points in history.
• Meade County Kentucky Place Names
  This list of place names and locations of Meade County, Kentucky have been accumulated by various authors and from a variety of sources, some unpublished. A large proportion of these listings come from Robert M. Rennicks Kentucky place names published in 1984 by the University Press of Kentucky.

Biographies of Meade County Kentucky

There were no county wide books dedicated to providing biographies of the leading men and women as so often can be found across the United States. However, sprinkled throughout The history of Meade County, Kentucky 1824-1991 are brief biographies and articles on the historic men and women of Meade County Kentucky.

• Brandenburg, John H. II (jr.)
• Brandenburg, Matthias
• Charles, Benjamin Hynes
• Clarkson, Benjamin S.
• Cundiff, Thomas Perry
• Farleigh Family
• Fowler, Charles W.
• Frakes, John F.
• Gough, William Henry

Cemeteries of Meade County Kentucky

Meade County, Kentucky Cemetery Records
A listing of Meade County cemetery transcriptions found online.

Meade County Kentucky FindAGrave Cemeteries
This is an alphabetical list of all Meade County Kentucky cemeteries found at FindAGrave.

Census and Tax Records for Meade County Kentucky

All Federal census records from 1790-1950 are now freely available on FamilySearch and as such we refer you to their databases. Since Meade County was formed in 1823, the first Federal census was the year of 1830. At the formation of the county there were already residents, and we suggest you search for your ancestor in Hardin and Breckinridge counties. You can also use the tax lists included below the census, as these started in 1824. For any additional census transcriptions or images, we suggest you refer to AccessGenealogy’s: Meade County, Kentucky Census Records

• 1810 United States Census
• 1820 United States Census
• 1830 United States Census
• 1840 United States Census
• 1850 United States Census
• 1860 United States Census
• 1870 United States Census
• 1880 United States Census
• 1900 United States Census
• 1910 United States Census
• 1920 United States Census
• 1930 United States Census
• 1940 United States Census
• 1950 United States Census

Meade County Kentucky Tax Records

This series of records are better known as the Meade County Assessments, and all told, should include 30 volumes of material that was filed by the Meade County Tax Commissioner for preservation with the Kentucky Historical Society. The years as outlined in the 1941 Historical Survey of records were as follows: 1824-1831, 1833, 1835, 1837, 1840-71. It is apparent in the years covered and the total number of volumes, that some volumes covered more than 1 year, or the date ranges were not inclusive. During the years of 1952-1953 this series of tax lists were microfilmed, and the years indicated by FamilySearch are: 1824, 1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1837-1853, 1854-1865. In looking at the records actually photographed in 1952-1953, however, I can affirm that they cover the years of 1824-1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1837-1853, 1854-1865. The Kentucky Historical Society should have the remaining 5 years covering 1866-1871, though I am not certain if they were ever microfilmed.

Free males twenty-one years of age or older were enumerated (and named) on tax lists if they owned one horse. Women were included on tax lists if they were the head-of-household. Free blacks were named on tax lists decades before the Civil War. The number of livestock and the value of hemp and other agricultural products provide researchers insight into Kentucky’s agrarian society in the past.

These records may show: Name of taxpayer, ages of some in the household, number of blacks, description of property, and value of property. Number of town lots, wheeled carriages, jewelry, tavern licenses and billiard tables. NO INDEX to these is available on the microfilm.

• Tax Books for the years 1824-1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1837-1853 – FamilySearch
• Tax Books for the years 1854-1865 – FamilySearch

FamilySearch also has tax lists for the years of 1879-1892 which are available to be viewed at a local family History center or affiliate library.

• Tax lists, 1879-1892

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for tax lists of Hardin, Meade, Nelson & Breckinridge County covering the years of 1793-1865.

Articles to Help Use the Kentucky Tax Records

In 2009, Kandie P. Adkinson, the Administrative Specialist Land Office Division for Kentucky, wrote a series of articles for “Kentucky Ancestors, A Genealogical Quarterly” concerning Kentucky tax lists. A fourth article covering the years of 1866-1880 was not published but is included below:

• Kentucky Tax Lists 1792 – 1840
• Kentucky Tax Lists 1841 – 1860
• Kentucky Tax Lists 1861 – 1865​
• Kentucky Tax Lists 1866-1880

Church Records for Meade County Kentucky

Salem Association of Baptists

Otter Creek Association of Regular Baptists, Mead County, Kentucky

Phillips Memorial Baptist Church, Meade County, Kentucky

Bible Records

Armstead Barnes Family Bible

Frank Jupin Family Bible – Images

Court Records for Meade County Kentucky

Court Order Books

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County court order books for the years of 1824-1873. These digitized records can be freely accessed at the Meade County Public Library Community history archive.

FamilySearch also has online the following digitized court order books:

• Order Books, 1824-1938
  These records are from the Clerk of the County Court in Brandenburg. Includes index for each volume. Volumes included are A-U for regular order books, and then volume A, 1876-1880 for Criminal orders.
• Order Books, 1824-1977
  These records are from the Circuit Court in Brandenburg. Includes general and volume indexes.
• Order Books, 1889-1930
  These records are from the Fiscal Court in Brandenburg. Includes indexes except as noted.

Probate Records

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County Will books for the years of 1824-2003.

Ethnic Genealogy of Meade County Kentucky

Native American Interactions

No Native American tribes ever inhabited this region for any length of time, although, crossing the Ohio River at the mouth of Salt River, Rock Haven, Flippen’s Run, Buck Creek, and near the mouth of Wolf Creek, they came often to hunt game. ¹ Many weapons and some perfect specimens of small pottery of exquisite Indian workmanship have been unearthed at numerous places in the county. One of the most fiercely contested battles with the early settlers occurred on East Hill at Brandenburg. A party of Native Americans, likely Shawnee, crossed the river and hid their canoes in Flippen’s Run. Big Joe Logsden, one of the famous Indian fighters who spent much time in this region, aided by a party of hunters, attacked the band. After a running fight along the buffalo trail, the Natives were beaten back and not long after decided to seek security on the northern bank of the Ohio. ²

Indian Battles in Meade County, Kentucky

Meade County Kentucky Genealogy

Among these families who first built their cabins and established themselves in this region were the Shackletts, the Richardsons, the Wimps, the Ashcrafts, the Fairleighs, the Chisholms, the Hardins, Squire Boone, brother of Daniel Boone, and others, many of whom came from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. ³ General Benjamin Shacklett, with his family and their few possessions, left Pennsylvania in 1796, and traveled by flatboat down the Ohio River, landing at the head of the Falls. Two years later he moved down the river to settle finally in Jakey’s Grove, in what was then Hardin and later became Meade County. Here in 1805 was born Benjamin Wooley Shacklett, his son, who developed into one of the greatest fighters of his day. Both the general and his son took a prominent part in the governmental affairs of the new county when it was created. About the same time several other families built their cabins in the vicinity of Jakey’s Grove. Richard Ashcraft had achieved fame as an Indian fighter in Pennsylvania, and his children, exhibiting the same courageous pioneer qualities that characterized their father, were among the earlier settlers to land at Solomon Brandenburg’s Landing and Perry. With them came John Wimp and his family, and from White Hall, New York, the Richardson family arrived to establish homes in what later became Meade County. ⁴

• The history of Meade County, Kentucky 1824-1991
  Written by Laura Young Brown and Marie Coleman and published in 1991, this manuscript provides a detailed look into the history of Meade County Kentucky and brief genealogies of its families.
• Gerard Alexander Family of Meade County, Kentucky
  Brief genealogy of the family of Gerard Alexander of Meade County Kentucky as appeared in Hardy’s Colonial Families of the Southern States of America: A History and Genealogy of Colonial Families who Settled in the Colonies Prior to the Revolution.
• Brandenburg Family History
• Kerrick Family History
  Traces the ancestry of Joseph Kerrick who died in Meade County, Kentucky in 1875.
• John Powell and John Johnson
  John (Jackie) Johnson and John Powell, first cousins, came to Shelby Co., KY from Virginia. In 1815, together with John Powell’s wife, Nancy Mason, and infant daughter, Mary, they settled in Meade Co., KY.

History of Meade County Kentucky

• The history of Meade County, Kentucky 1824-1991
  Written by Laura Young Brown and Marie Coleman and published in 1991, this manuscript provides a detailed look into the history of Meade County Kentucky and brief genealogies of its families.
• Historical Sketch of Meade County, Kentucky
  This article provides a detailed historical overview of Meade County, Kentucky, established in 1823 from Hardin and Breckinridge counties. It describes the geographical boundaries and the unique shape imparted by the Ohio River, while also painting a picture of the county’s rich natural resources that attracted early settlers such as the Shackletts and Ashcrafts from various states. The narrative highlights the socio-political dynamics of the early community, including the organization of the county court in 1824 and the intense “fist and skull” battles that characterized local elections. This sketch effectively captures the early challenges and developments that shaped Meade County’s identity and governance.
• Early Times in Meade County Kentucky
  Written in 1929 by George L. Ridenour a Pastor of New Brandenburg, New Highland and Phillips Memorial Baptist Churches in Brandenburg, Kentucky.
• Shoptaugh’s Account Books, Meade County, Kentucky
  A list of names from an old blacksmith’s account book beginning November 12, 1833

Land Records for Meade County Kentucky

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County land records covering the years of 1824-1875, and indexes for 1824-1904. These digitized records can be freely accessed at the Meade County Public Library Community history archive.

• Deed Book, 1824-1875
• Index to Deeds, Grantor, 1824-1904
• Index to Deeds, Grantor 1, 1824-1904

FamilySearch has all of the same land records available in its Microfilm collection and more. It also has cross indices to mortgage records available from 1824-1983.

Deeds, 1824-1937; indexes, 1824-1904, 1824-1937
Microfilm of original records in the Meade County courthouse, Brandenburg, Kentucky. Includes general and some individual indexes. Indexes include the years of 1824-1904 and deeds from 1824-1901. There are also commissioner’s deeds and partition deeds.

Mortgage records index, 1824-1976
Microfilm of originals at the county courthouse, Brandenburg. Note the ending year indicated in the record collection states 1976, but the final two volumes actually include the years of 1976-1983.

Military Records of Meade County Kentucky

World War 2 Casualty List
This collection lists War Department casualties (Army and Army Air Force personnel) from World War II. Information provided includes serial number, rank and type of casualty. The birthplace or residence of the deceased is not indicated. 

Korean War Casualty List
The National Archives and Records Administration prepared these Korean War casualty lists by creating extracts from the military casualty data files in the Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Record Group 330). The lists are based on the “home of record – state” data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. “Home of record” does not necessarily refer to the place of birth, residence of next of kin, place of longest residence, or other common uses of the term “hometown.”

Vietnam War Casualty List
The National Archives and Records Administration prepared these Vietnam War casualty lists by creating extracts from the military casualty data files in the Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Record Group 330). The lists are based on the “home of record – state” data provided by the serviceman or woman upon last entrance into military service. “Home of record” does not necessarily refer to the place of birth, residence of next of kin, place of longest residence, or other common uses of the term “hometown.”

Vital Records for Meade County Kentucky

Meade County Kentucky Birth Records

Births, marriages, deaths, 1908-1909, births, 1852-1857, 1859-1861, 1894, 1901, 1904
Microreproduction of original records at the Kentucky State Historical Society and the State Archives in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County death records for the years of: 1859,1861, 1874-1878, 1894, 1900, 1901, 1906-1909.

Meade County Kentucky Death Records

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County marriage records for the years of: 1853-1859, 1861, 1874-1877, 1894, 1900, 1901, 1906-1908.

Funeral Homes in Meade County, Kentucky

Big Early Farms

Bruington-Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home
In operation since 1932. Current obituaries.

Hager Funeral Home
In operation since 1885. Current obituaries.

Meade County Kentucky Marriage Records

Original marriage bonds, consent notes, ministers returns and marriage licenses, 1824-1911
Microfilm of original records in the Meade County courthouse, Brandenburg, Kentucky. No index.

Marriage bonds, 1855-1968, marriage register, 1824-1934, declaration of marriage, 1866-1875
Microfilm of original records in the Meade County courthouse, Brandenburg, Kentucky. Includes indexes.

Marriage licenses and certificates, 1907-1912
Original marriage licenses certificate and returns, Book D, 1907-1912

The Meade County Library in their Marie R. Coleman History Room holds microfilm for Meade County death records for the years of: 1852-1859, 1861, 1874-1878, 1894, 1900, 1901, 1904, 1906-1909.

Births, marriages, deaths, 1908-1909, marriages 1853-1857, 1861, 1894, 1902, and 1906
Microreproduction of original records at the Kentucky State Historical Society and the State Archives in Lexington, Kentucky.

1. Ridenour, George L., Early times in Meade County, Kentucky, Louisville, 1929, pp.15.[↩]
2. Borger, Mike, Frontier Meade County, parts 1,2,3 and 4, Meade County Tourism Board[↩]
3. The Louisville Evening Post, March 27, 1923.[↩]
4. Ridenour, George L., Early times in Meade County, Kentucky, Louisville, 1929, pp. 27-31.[↩]